Banana Cookies

These Banana Cookies are soft and chewy and topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting! They're the most delicious way to use up those ripe bananas sitting on your counter!!

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When you've got ripe bananas to use up, what's your go-to recipe? Perhaps it's banana bread? Frosted banana bars? Or my Banana Crumb Muffins?

I love having ripe bananas and often purchase too many bananas on purpose so I end up with leftover to bake with! As much as I love banana bread and banana muffins as much as the next person, I wanted something different.

Remembering how much you all loved the soft Rhubarb Cookies with cream cheese frosting I posted last year, I decided to do a banana version! And oh my goodness.....this might be my new go-to banana recipe! (Seriously. Give this one a try!!)

What ingredients are in Banana Cookies?

If you've got ripe bananas and the typical baking "stuff"....ya know, flour, sugar, butter, etc., you probably have almost everything you need to make these.

• Butter - Yep, let's just go ahead and start with the real good stuff! 😉
• Sugar and Brown Sugar - I like using a combination in this recipe. You get the sweetness from both and the brown sugar adds a little extra flavor and keeps the cookies soft.
• Egg - This helps give the cookies it's soft, cakey texture and holds the cookies together so they don't end up crumbly.
• Mashed Bananas - Flavor, flavor, flavor! And moistness. Yum!
• Vanilla & Salt - Ditto to the flavor, flavor, flavor!!
• Baking Soda - This is the leavening agent in these cookies, so it helps give them a nice and fluffy texture.
• Flour - This is the bulk of the batter - gimme all the carbs! 😉
• Cream Cheese & Butter - This is the start of your frosting, and in my opinion, the most delicious part of these cookies!!
• Powdered Sugar - Because it's frosting. ha!
• Vanilla - Once again, flavor!!
• Chopped Nuts - These are optional, but they are a nice textural addition and bring more flavor to the cookies.

Can you freeze banana cookies?

Absolutely! And actually, you can freeze them with or without the frosting on them.

If you choose to frost them without the frosting, simply stack the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag. You will want to place a sheet of waxed paper between the layers of cookies, though, so they don't stick together.

If you want to frost them prior to freezing, that'll work too. Let the cookies cool completely, frost, then place on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Then, you'll be able to stack the cookies without making a mess.

Is there a way to ripen bananas more quickly?

Craving some banana cookies or banana bread, but your bananas just aren't quite ripe enough yet?

• Preheat oven to 300F.
• Place the banana(s) on a sheet pan (in case the juices leak out of them a bit).
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until soft and black like the banana on the right in the photo below.
• Remove the bananas from the oven, peel and place the banana into a bowl to let cool. You will want to let these cool to room temperature so you don’t cook the eggs when mixing them into the batter.

What are some tasty variations of these Banana Cookies?

There are so many flavors that pair really well with banana. Therefore, I wanted to give you a list of different add-ins and toppings that might trip your trigger!

Chocolate Chips - Bananas and chocolate are the perfect match. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter before baking - yummm!!

Peanut Butter - One of my favorite snacks is a banana with peanut butter spread on it. (Soooo good!) Create a Peanut Butter Banana Cookie by adding ½ c chopped peanuts into the batter and spreading peanut butter frosting on top (in place of the cream cheese frosting).

Extra Nutty - When it comes to banana recipes, I love to load them with pecans or walnuts! The recipe calls for the (optional) nuts just on top, but you can also add 1 cup of chopped nuts into the batter before baking. It'll add a nice crunch!

Give these a try and let me know what you think!!

Recipe added to the Weekend Potluck